Leaders from the Latino community met with the NAACP and its president, Rev. Talbert W. Swan II.

Easthampton City Councilor Donald L. Cykowski, left, is seen in this composite photo with Springfield NAACP president, the Rev. Talbert W. Swan II.

SPRINGFIELD – The Springfield branch of the NAACP has scheduled a public meeting Jan. 4 to discuss a recent comment by Easthampton city councilor Donald L. Cykowski that has been widely criticized as offensive to the Puerto Rican community.

Cykowski has since apologized for his statement, which was made at a Dec. 7 council meeting, but calls for further action continue inside and outside Easthampton.

Meanwhile, the outgoing president of the Easthampton City Council said he will file a resolution Tuesday reaffirming the council’s commitment to tolerance and against discrimination of any kind.

Leaders from the Latino community met Wednesday morning with the NAACP and its president, Rev. Talbert W. Swan II.

“I still believe that if Cykowski holds discriminatory views against the Puerto Rican community, he is not fit to represent the constituents, and that he should resign,” Swan said.

Cykowski made the comment during an Easthampton City Council meeting after a discussion about whether the council should name Councilor Ronald Chateauneuf to the Planning Board. Chateauneuf left the room, and when he was called back, he had trouble opening the door. Cykowski said, “Where’s a Puerto Rican when we need one?”

During a Council meeting Dec. 21, Cykowski said, “I made a statement. If I offended anyone, I apologize.”

Cykowski also has said he will not resign. “I thought my apology was enough,” he has said.

At the NAACP meeting Wednesday, Springfield resident Kevin Maxwell said letting such remarks pass would be a step back for his community. “This type of comment happened during the Civil Rights movements when things were just passed under the rug,” said Maxwell.

Calvin Feliciano, a resident of Springfield and member of the NAACP, said, “Further from this situation, it’s more important that we unite and that we can move forward. We need to let it be known that this type of conduct is not tolerable.”

As for the Easthampton resolution, “I don’t want to go into anything political,” said Easthampton City Council President Joseph McCoy. He said he just wants to “restate we do not tolerate or condone” discrimination of any kind.

The Republican | David MolnarEasthampton City Council President Joseph McCoy at a 2011 candidate's forum at the Municipal Building.

“One of the fundamental core values of the City of Easthampton is to treat all persons with respect and dignity,” according to the resolution, and “many ethnicities have contributed to the strength of character of the citizens of Easthampton.”

“An inappropriate and offensive comment” was made at the Dec. 7 meeting, the resolution reads.

“Now, therefore, be it hereby resolved, that the City of Easthampton and its representatives shall not condone or tolerate any form of discrimination on the basis of race, color, religious creed, age, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, physical or mental disability or veteran status.”

McCoy said he felt like he had to do something because “it happened on my watch.”

McCoy expects no action on the resolution at the Tuesday meeting, which follows the swearing in of two new members and the mayor to another term. The council meets Wednesday night.

The council has limited authority over its members. It can issue a resolution of disapproval, said City Councilor Justin P. Cobb, but cannot ask for a resignation and neither can the mayor.

Easthampton Mayor Michael A. Tautznik wrote in an email that “censure is not within the scope of authority of my office and any effort to remove an elected official from office must be initiated through the formal recall process in our city.”

According to the charter, that requires 400 or more voters filing an affidavit with the board of registrars.

Cobb, who could become the next council president Tuesday, said he supports McCoy’s resolution, calling it “the limit of what we can do.”

He said those that know Cykowski felt his apology was sincere.

Swan said even though the resolution is a step forward, he will continue his course of action. “The resolution submitted by Mr. McCoy is commendable, but we still need to have dialogs regardless of what course of action the Easthampton City Council takes,” Swan said.

The NAACP meeting is scheduled Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Spring of Hope Church of God in Christ, 35 Alden St., Springfield.

Staff reporter Diane Lederman contributed to this story

Officers taking part in the drill will fire practice rounds as they simulate a scenario where armed intruders are in the school.

View full sizeRepublican file photoQuabbin Regional High School will be the scene of a police tactical drill Thursday, similar to this 2009 training session in Longmeadow.

BARRE - The Barre Police Department will host a full-scale tactical training drill Thursday at the Quabbin Regional Junior-Senior High School in which police from regional communities will practice tactics for dealing with a gunman inside a school.

Because of the training, the police department will close off the school campus to all visitors and school employees, and block School Street to traffic from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m., officials said. South Street will be closed between Root Road and Grogan Road, and motorists are being urged to find other routes.

The training will be lead by the state police Special Tactical Operation Team, and funding for the training is provided by a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

No classes will be interrupted as the school is not in session because of the Christmas break.

An announcement posted on the Quabbin Regional High School website says the drill will feature "a simulation of what would actually occur if there were a perpetrator(s) on the school campus ready and willing to inflict harm with firearms."

Officers involved in the drill will be firing Simunition rounds, a type of non-lethal ammunition used in simulated exercises. The school announcement notes officers standing guard on the perimeter of the school grounds will be carrying their service weapons loaded with live rounds.

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Changing the zoning of the west side of Union Street from Industrial to Business B would not have an adverse effect on businesses, according to Planning Administrator Richard A. Werbiskis.

The Republican file photo | Dave RobackTrees are down in and buildings are damaged on Union Street in West Springfield following the June 1 tornado.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – The Planning Board has voted 5-0 to recommend the zoning of the west side of Union Street be changed from Industrial to Business B.

The move is expected to help businesses affected by the June 1 tornado move forward to redevelop their properties.

Planning Administrator Richard A. Werbiskis told board members Wednesday that the Business B zoning designation allows all the uses permitted in areas zoned Industrial and permits many more that are not currently allowed. For instance, Business B zoning allows for such uses as retailing, banking and professional offices, he said.

There would be no adverse effect on businesses if the zoning were changed, Werbiskis told the board. Residences along the west side of the street would continue to be allowed through grandfathering.

The east side of Union Street is already zoned Business B.

The Redevelopment Authority has requested that officials put off any zone change until after two studies of the area are complete. One is a study of mixed commercial and residential zoning in the area being paid for by a $57,000 grant from the state Office of Housing and Community Development. Another is an updated version of the Merrick-Memorial Study done five years ago.

Werbiskis said it will be about a year before town officials will be ready to address the results of those studies.

However, some entities, such as Kot Realty Co., which owns 502-564 Union St., would like to see the change made now, according to its attorney, Richard A. Sypek. He said his client would like to bring retailers to its building, 75 percent of which was destroyed by the tornado.

“My only suggestion is not to wait another year,” Sypek said. “In the meantime, you can help out some of the existing businesses that have been hurt by the tornado. In this economy, any development in West Springfield is a good thing.”

Diane Crowell, a former Town Council member who lives in the neighborhood, expressed concern changing the zoning could draw more traffic to Union Street. She said the street has seen big increases in traffic over the years.

The Planning Board’s recommendation will now go to the Town Council, which must approve the proposal by a two-thirds vote for the zoning change to take effect.

A Delta flight from Detroit to Quebec and a United flight bound for Chicago made emergency landings at Burlington International Airport.

Associated PressA United Express plane sits on the runway in Burlington, Vt., Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011. The Chicago-bound United Airlines regional jet made an emergency landing in Vermont shortly after takeoff after a report of smoke in the cargo hold. Burlington International Airport operations specialist Patrick Sharrow says United Express Flight 3785 landed safely at 6:28 a.m. EST Wednesday after being in the air for about 10 minutes. No one was reported injured. The CRJ700 plane was carrying 66 passengers and four crew members. (AP Photo/Burlington Free Press, Matt Ryan)

SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. – A Vermont airport responded to two emergency landings in one day Wednesday.

A Delta flight carrying 33 passengers and three crew members from Detroit to Quebec landed safely Wednesday around 4 p.m. No injuries were reported.

Joe Williams, a spokesman for regional jet operator Pinnacle Airlines, Inc., said the main passenger door of the CRJ200 regional jet was making a noise so the pilot diverted to the nearest available airport.

The flight was cancelled and passengers were booked into hotels because the crew had reached the maximum time allowed to remain on duty. The passengers are expected to fly to Quebec on Thursday morning, he said.

"They believe they have the problem corrected," Williams said.

Earlier Wednesday, a Chicago-bound United Airlines regional jet made an emergency landing at the two-runway Burlington International Airport shortly after takeoff. The United Express Flight 3785 had been in the air about 10 minutes when it landed safely at 6:28 a.m. after a report of smoke in the cargo hold, said airport operations specialist Patrick Sharrow.

No injuries were reported. The CRJ700 plane was carrying 66 passengers and four crew members.

United spokesman Rahsaan Johnson said a cockpit indicator light erroneously alerted the flight crew to smoke in the cargo hold. Sharrow also said one of the engines shut down, but Johnson said there was no engine failure.

Customers flew in a different plane to Chicago with the same flight number. It landed at 12:49 p.m. EST, Johnson said.

Grant also pleaded innocent to 2 counts of possession with intent to distribute heroin.

The Republican | File photoThe Hampden County Hall of Justice in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD – A Chicopee man has pleaded not guilty to a manslaughter charge in connection with a fatal assault on a former West Springfield High School hockey player in September.

Eric L. Grant, 47, of 64 Elcon St., denied the charge during his arraignment in Hampden Superior Court Tuesday. Killed was Nathan W. Foley, 20, of West Springfield.

Grant also pleaded innocent to two counts of possession with intent to distribute heroin.

He is being held at Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow in lieu of $10,000 cash bail. A pre-trial conference was set for April 24.

The manslaughter and heroin charges were handed down in an indictment issued by a Hampden County grand jury earlier this month.

The indictment provides few details beyond stating that the manslaughter charge stemmed from events on Sept. 20 in West Springfield, and the heroin charges dated back to Sept. 19 and Oct. 20.

Grant is described in court documents as being married and unemployed.

Neither Assistant District Attorney James Forsyth, who is prosecuting the case, nor defense lawyer Elizabeth Rodriquez-Ross, could be reached for comment.

Foley was a 2009 graduate of West Springfield High School, and was attending Springfield Technical Community College, majoring in fire science, according to his obituary in The Republican. He was employed in the Stop & Shop dairy department in West Springfield.

Hours after appearing with Bachmann at an event, state Sen. Kent Sorenson gave his endorsement to the Texas congressman at a Des Moines rally.

Associated PressRepublican Presidential candidate, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn. meets with patrons at the Nodaway Diner during a campaign stop, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011, in Greenfield, Iowa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

By BRIAN BAKST

INDIANOLA, Iowa – Michele Bachmann's struggling presidential campaign saw her Iowa chairman defect Wednesday to rival Ron Paul's side, an embarrassing blow that came as some called for her to leave the race to free up her supporters for other candidates.

Hours after appearing with Bachmann at an event, state Sen. Kent Sorenson gave his endorsement to the Texas congressman at a Des Moines rally. Sorenson said he resigned from Bachmann's campaign to back Paul, whom he called the most conservative of the top-tier candidates.

Bachmann said Sorenson made the jump after "he was offered a large sum of money to go to work for the Paul campaign."

"Kent said to me yesterday that 'everyone sells out in Iowa, why shouldn't I,'" Bachmann said in a written statement. "Then he told me he would stay with our campaign. The Ron Paul campaign has to answer for its actions."

Sorenson announced the switch during a Paul veterans rally in Des Moines. He didn't immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press to address Bachmann's charges that the move was financially based.

"The fact is, there is a clear top tier in the race for the Republican nomination for president, both here in Iowa and nationally. Ron Paul is easily the most conservative of this group," Sorenson said in a statement. "The truth is, it was an excruciatingly difficult decision for me to decide between supporting Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul at the beginning of this campaign."

Bachmann has been on a frantic 99-county push across Iowa in an effort to recover from the slide that followed her Iowa straw poll victory in August. Paul was a close second in that contest.

Earlier in the day, two influential pastors said they wanted either her or former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum to drop out of the running to keep evangelical voters from splitting their support. Bachmann insisted she would see the Iowa caucus campaign through.

Sorenson, who has strong ties to Iowa's tea party, was one of Bachmann's earliest public supporters and joined her for an afternoon stop at a Pizza Ranch restaurant in Indianola. Standing by her side, he declined to speak to the crowd there, citing numbness from dental work.

All day, Bachmann bashed Paul as "dangerous" for having a hands-off foreign policy. It was part of a double-barreled attack on the two Texans in the race. She went after Gov. Rick Perry for "27 years as a political insider."

The aggressive tone underscored Bachmann's role as a chaser in the final week of campaigning. She has bet heavily on Iowa, where she was born.

Bachmann came hardest at Perry, who this week began a television ad lumping Bachmann with other Washington figures seeking the GOP nomination in his attempt to come off as the outsider in the race.

"Just because he's held office outside of Washington, D.C., does not mean he is not a political insider. It's what you do in your office that matters," she said outside a small-town cafe. "There aren't very many politicians who have spent more time paying off political donors than Gov. Rick Perry has."

Perry has served Texas as a legislator, agriculture commissioner, lieutenant governor and governor.

Bachmann also said Perry has engaged in "crony capitalism" by helping donors with Texas government contracts or giving them political appointments. And she called Perry a double-dipper for collecting his gubernatorial salary and state pension at the same time.

Campaigning in Indianola on Wednesday, Perry scored what appeared to be a double hit of his own. Although he didn't name his targets, he took aim at lawmakers who sound off in Washington without much influence on policy — a rap sometimes attached to Bachmann and Paul.

"Some campaigns are about their voting record, on bills that never make it to the president's desk. I'm campaigning on ideas that I've signed into law," Perry said.

As for Paul, Bachmann criticized him as misguided about foreign threats to U.S. interests.

"Ron Paul would be a dangerous president," Perry said. "He would have us ignore all of the warning signs of another brutal dictator who wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. I won't. He would wait until one of our cities is wiped off of the map until he reacted. I won't wait."

On Wednesday, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told CNN that he would find it personally difficult to vote for Paul if the Texas congressman were to become the party's choice to go up against President Barack Obama next fall. Bachmann refused to go that far, dodging two direct questions about her willingness to back Paul later on.

"He won't win the nomination," she said.

At stop after stop, Bachmann cast herself as America's "Iron Lady," the nickname assigned to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Bachmann sits on the House Intelligence Committee, which she said gives her a firm grip on world affairs.

State Sen. Brad Zaun, who had been Bachmann's Iowa co-chairman, was named full chairman after Sorenson's resignation.

Associated Press writer Philip Elliott in Indianola, Iowa, contributed to this report.

The 82-year-old Bulger has a history of heart problems.

James "Whitey" Bulger

BOSTON – Former Boston mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger has had his first trip from prison to a hospital for treatment of chest pains.

The 82-year-old Bulger has a history of heart problems. He previously told federal agents that he had traveled to Mexico to purchase heart medication during his time on the run.

Bulger was taken to a Boston hospital for treatment last week before returning to the Plymouth jail. A Boston Medical Center spokeswoman did not immediately return a call for comment.

The longtime FBI informant was captured in June in Santa Monica, Calif., after more than 16 years on the run. He was living with longtime girlfriend Catherine Greig.

Bulger has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from allegations that he participated in 19 murders.

Greig has pleaded not guilty to a conspiracy charge.

Police said Shaun Tiago was shot in the head and his body left on Newton Street in Holyoke.

Miguel Roman

SPRINGFIELD – Jurors on Thursday are expected to continue deliberations in the case of Miguel Roman, 45, of Holyoke, charged with murder in the death of Shaun Tiago, of Holyoke, in 2010.

The case is being tried in Hampden Superior Court. Deliberations started Tuesday.

Police said Tiago was shot in the head and his body left on Newton Street in Holyoke.

Many laws reflect the nation's concerns over immigration, the cost of government and the best way to protect and benefit young people, including regulations on sports concussions.

Associated PressIrvis Orozco, 24, a senior studying international relations at the University of California, Davis, poses for a photo on campus in Davis, Calif. A new law that will take effect Jan. 1, 2012, will allow Orozco, who was brought to the country illegally from Mexico when he was an infant, to receive private financial aid at California's public colleges. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS

Girls seeking abortions in New Hampshire must first tell their parents or a judge, some employers in Alabama must verify new workers' U.S. residency, and California students will be the first in the country to receive mandatory lessons about the contributions of gays and lesbians under state laws set to take effect at the start of 2012.

Many laws reflect the nation's concerns over immigration, the cost of government and the best way to protect and benefit young people, including regulations on sports concussions.

Alabama, with the country's toughest immigration law, is enacting a key provision requiring all employers who do business with any government entity to use a federal system known as E-Verify to check that all new employees are in the country legally.

Georgia is putting a similar law into effect requiring any business with 500 or more employees to use E-Verify to check the employment eligibility of new hires. The requirement is being phased in, with all employers with more than 10 employees to be included by July 2013.

Supporters said they wanted to deter illegal immigrants from coming to Georgia by making it tougher for them to work. Critics said that changes to immigration law should come at the federal level and that portions of the law already in effect are already hurting Georgia.

"It is destroying Georgia's economy and it is destroying the fabric of our social network in South Georgia," Paul Bridges, mayor of the onion-farming town of Uvalda, said in November. He is part of a lawsuit challenging the new law.

Tennessee will also require businesses to ensure employees are legally authorized to work in the U.S. but exempts employers with five or fewer workers and allows them to keep a copy of the new hire's driver's license instead of using E-Verify.

A South Carolina law would allow officials to yank the operating licenses of businesses that don't check new hires' legal status through E-verify. A federal judge last week blocked parts of the law that would have required police to check the immigration status of criminal suspects or people stopped for traffic violations they think might be in the country illegally, and that would have made it a crime for illegal immigrants to transport or house themselves.

California is also addressing illegal immigration, but with a bill that allows students who entered the country illegally to receive private financial aid at public colleges.

Many laws aim to protect young people. In Colorado, coaches will be required to bench players as young as 11 when they're believed to have suffered a head injury. The young athletes will also need medical clearance to return to play.

The law also requires coaches in public and private schools and even volunteer Little League and Pop Warner football coaches to take free annual online training to recognize the symptoms of a concussion. At least a dozen other states have enacted similar laws with the support of the National Football League.

People 18 and under in Illinois will have to wear seat belts while riding in taxis for school-related purposes, and Illinois school boards can now suspend or expel students who make explicit threats on websites against other students or school employees.

Florida will take control of lunch and other school food programs from the federal government, allowing the state to put more Florida-grown fresh fruit and vegetables on school menus. Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam says the change will help children eat healthier.

A California law will add gays and lesbians and people with disabilities to the list of social and ethnic groups whose contributions must be taught in history lessons in public schools. The law also bans teaching materials that reflect poorly on gays or particular religions.

Opponents have filed five potential initiatives to repeal the requirement outright or let parents remove their children while gays' contributions are being taught.

In New Hampshire, a law requiring girls seeking abortions to tell their parents or a judge first was reinstated by conservative Republicans over a gubernatorial veto. The state enacted a similar law eight years ago, but it was never enforced following a series of lawsuits.

In Arkansas, facilities that perform 10 or more nonsurgical abortions a month must be licensed by the state Health Department and be subject to inspections by the department, the same requirements faced by facilities that offer surgical abortions in the state.

It affects two Planned Parenthood facilities that offer the abortion pill, though they're not singled out in the statute.

Among federal laws, a measure Congress passed last week to extend Social Security tax cuts and federal unemployment benefit programs raises insurance fees on new mortgages and refinancings backed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Administration by 0.1 percent beginning Jan. 1.

That covers about 90 percent of them and effectively makes a borrower's monthly payment on a new $200,000 mortgage or refinancing about $17 a month more than it would have been if obtained before the first of the year.

Nevada's 3-month old ban on texting while driving will get tougher, with tickets replacing the warnings that police have issued since the ban took effect Oct. 1. In Pennsylvania, police are preparing to enforce that state's recently enacted ban on texting, scheduled to take effect by spring.

Election law changes in Rhode Island and Tennessee will require voters to present photo ID, a measure that supporters say prevents fraud and that opponents say will make it harder for minorities and the elderly to cast ballots.

In Ohio, a measure that creates one primary in March, instead of two that would have cost the state an extra $15 million, goes into effect later in January.

Ohio is also one of eight states with automatic increases in the minimum wage taking effect Jan. 1. The others, with increases between 28 and 37 cents, are Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Montana, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.

A few laws try to address budget woes. In Delaware, new state employees will have to contribute more to their pensions, while state workers hired after Jan. 1 in Nevada will have to pony up for their own health care costs in retirement.

Jan. 1 is the effective date in many states for laws passed during this year's legislative sessions. In others, laws take effect July 1, or 90 days after passage.

Welsh-Huggins reported from Columbus, Ohio

The economy – who bears responsibility for it – is likely to be a decisive issue when voters to go the polls next November.

By DEREK KRAVITZ and PAUL WISEMAN | AP Economics Writers

Associated PressPresident Barack Obama speaks during a news conference in the South Court Auditorium at the White House complex. Obama gets mediocre marks for his handling of the economy, and Mitt Romney easily outpolls his Republican rivals in an Associated Press survey of economists. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama gets mediocre marks for his handling of the economy and Mitt Romney easily outpolls his Republican rivals in an Associated Press survey of economists.

The economy — and who bears responsibility for it — is likely to be a decisive issue when voters to go the polls next November.

The economy is still struggling to recover from the Great Recession of 2007-2009. The housing market remains weak and a debt crisis in Europe threatens growth in 2012. The unemployment rate is at a recession-level 8.6 percent, up from 7.8 percent when Obama took office in January 2009. That month, the recession was already more than a year old.

Half of the 36 economists who responded to the Dec. 14-20 AP survey rated Obama's economic policies "fair." And 13 called them "poor." Just five of the economists gave the president "good" marks. None rated him as "excellent."

The economists' criticisms vary. Some say Obama was distracted by his health care overhaul. Others say his $862 billion stimulus program was poorly designed. Still others fault him for not pushing for an even bigger stimulus when the economy proved weaker than expected.

The AP economists expect economic growth to pick up to 2.4 percent next year. That would be an improvement from the under-2 percent growth expected for 2011. But the economists foresee little improvement — a dip to 8.4 percent — in the unemployment rate by Election Day.

Asked which of the Republican presidential candidates would do the best job managing the economy, two thirds of the economists named Romney, one chose former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. The rest didn't pick anyone at all.

Allen Sinai, president of Decision Economics, says Romney, who ran a private equity firm before turning to politics, is the "hands down" choice among Republican presidential contenders squaring off in the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses.

"Romney's a technocrat," Sinai says. "He's not an ideologue. He has a history in the real world of business."

The Iowa presidential caucuses, which kick the GOP nominating process into high gear, begin Tuesday and polls show Romney in a strong position. Romney has based his campaign on the notion that he has the best chance of beating Obama on the economy because of his private sector experience.

Here's more about what the economists, mostly from banks and other financial firms, independent consultancies and academia, had to say about:

Obama:

Associated PressPresident Barack Obama signs a two-week funding bill averting a government shutdown in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington in March. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Some economists say the Obama administration didn't push hard enough for more government spending or tax cuts to stimulate growth. "They've generally tried to take the right kinds of measures but have often failed to lead with enough vigor to overcome political obstacles," says William Cheney, chief economist at John Hancock Financial Services.

Others say the president tried to do too much, especially by pushing early for legislation to overhaul the nation's health care system instead of focusing on policies to promote growth and create jobs.

"Health care reform wasn't necessarily the most important thing to be dealing with when you're in the midst of the worst recession since the Great Depression," says Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economics.

Some critics say Obama's 2009 stimulus program relied too much on public works projects that were slow to get going. Decision Economics' Sinai says the president should have favored more tax cuts that put money in Americans' pockets immediately.

Sinai notes that public works projects failed to pull Japan out of a long economic slump that began in the 1990s and continues today. After the money is spent, "you're left with deficits and debt. And someday if you need new government stimulus, you can't afford it. And that's where we are now," Sinai says.

Republican strategist Rich Galen says the GOP has successfully painted Obama as a reckless steward of taxpayer money: "In a Tea Party era where Big Government is the enemy, throwing money at problems is the enemy," he says.

An Associated Press-GfK poll of American adults earlier this month found that 60 percent of American adults disapprove of Obama's performance on economic issues.

Jamal Simmons, an adviser to the Obama campaign in 2008, said the president must remind voters how bad things were when he took office. The economy lost more than 820,000 jobs the month Obama was sworn in, the biggest drop since October 1949.

Since the job market hit bottom in February 2010, it has produced nearly 2.5 million jobs — 117,000 a month. "Is it enough? Absolutely not, but it certainly ain't what it used to be," Simmons says. Perhaps Obama can take heart from President Ronald Reagan's experience. The unemployment rate was 8.5 percent — a tick away from where it was last month — a year before Reagan was re-elected in a 1984 landslide.

"You have to look at where you would have been if he hadn't gotten the stimulus package through," says Maury Harris, chief economist at UBS Securities. "We might be a lot worse off."

Romney:

Associated PressFormer Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks to employees at BAE Systems in Nashua, N.H. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Many of those who chose Romney couldn't cite any of the former Massachusetts governor's economic proposals. Nevertheless, his background won over the economists. Romney graduated from Harvard Business School and served as CEO of Bain & Company, a management consulting business in Boston, and Bain Capital, a spinoff investment firm, in the 1980s and 90s."He has the experience that the other candidates lack," says Harris of UBS Securities.

Some of his Republican rivals have taken unconventional positions. Texas Rep. Ron Paul advocates abolishing the Federal Reserve and returning to the gold standard. Texas Gov. Rick Perry has said it would be "almost treasonous" for Bernanke to try a third round of bond purchases to jolt the economy before November's election.

Among Romney's chief economic plans: repealing the Obama administration's health-care law; cutting the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent; and making permanent tax cuts on dividends, interest and capital gains from President George W. Bush's administration.

"He thinks about the economy in a more global way" than his GOP rivals, Naroff says. "He's not a rigid ideologue."

But Romney's business experience is also vulnerable to criticism. His Republican rivals have blasted him for profiting from putting companies through bankruptcy and laying off workers.

"At a time when the American public is suspicious of corporate wealth and power, that could do real harm to Romney," Simmons says. The economists were not asked to evaluate Obama's economic policies against Romney's or any other Republican candidate.

The economists gave good marks to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke: 13 rated Bernanke as excellent, 14 as good and nine as fair. He was praised for taking extraordinary steps to calm financial markets after the collapse of Lehman Bros. in 2008 and to jolt the weakest economy in 70 years.

"He's been dealt a tough hand, but played it as well as anybody could," says Scott Brown, chief economist at Raymond James & Associates.

The economists praise Bernanke for his aggressive response to the financial crisis in the fall of 2008. He slashed short-term interest rates to zero, made loans to cash-strapped banks and bought Treasury and mortgage bonds to push down interest rates and calm financial markets.

"The Fed's response (to) the financial crisis and recession was dramatic and swift," says Sean Snaith, an economist at the University of Central Florida.

When the economy stalled in the second half of 2010, Bernanke launched another round of bond purchases to push long-term rates lower.

He has sometimes had to overcome dissent from others on the Fed's rate-setting board. And Bernanke's Fed has had to take the lead in economic policymaking because Congress and the White House are so often ensnarled in partisan bickering.

Still, some economists say Bernanke's Fed has gone too far, that zero interest rates are hurting retirees and savers without delivering many economic benefits.

"Perhaps the greatest criticism might be that the Federal Reserve has tried to do too much — trying to offset the impact of necessary budget cuts, European debt problems and other factors out of its control," says Lynn Reaser, chief economist at Point Loma Nazarene University.

AP Business Writer Daniel Wagner contributed to this report.

There was a servere washout there a year ago, that is going to be very expensive to repair, according to a DPW official.

Photo by Mark M. Murray / The RepublicanMotorist make their way past concrete blocks and orange barrels on Dickinson Street in Springfield recently.

Question: On Dickinson Street, between Temple Beth Al and the Georgetown housing complex in Springfield, there are some concrete blocks and orange barrels that have been there for three years. They are located near a curve on the road.

I have never seen any work going on there, and in the winter it is hard to maneuver. What is going on there, and when will this be fixed?

– Anonymous,
Springfield

Answer: There was a severe washout there about a year ago, Springfield Public Works Superintendent Allan R. Chwalek said.

“It’s major, there is a huge drop-off there that goes down into a stream. We have looked at it and it is incredibly expensive to fix,” he said, adding that the estimated cost of repair is approximately $50,000.

The department is going to ask the capital funding committee to recommend the project’s funding.

Under Ashe's proposal, Worthington Street would only be open for pedestrians on weekends.

File photo | The RepublicanA view down Worthington Street in Springfield from Theodore's.

SPRINGFIELD– A proposal to close Worthington Street to vehicular traffic on weekends will be discussed during a City Council subcommittee meeting on Jan. 5.

City Councilor Thomas M. Ashe is proposing shutting down Worthington Street between Main and Dwight streets or possibly Chestnut street as a way of minimizing some of the violence that occurs in the entertainment district on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

“Crime is a significant issue in the downtown corridor and the police commissioner has said that the majority of the problems occur on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights between 12 and 4 a.m.,” Ashe said. “Maybe if we just open it up to pedestrian traffic during those hours it would lessen the criminal element driving around looking for trouble.”

On Dec. 23 Mayor Domenic J. Sarno proposed a 1 a.m. entertainment curfew at liquor-serving establishments. More than a dozen speakers criticized the proposed curfew during a public hearing at City Hall, claiming it will create economic hardships for bars and restaurants without achieving the goal of reducing violence or late-night disturbances.

Sarno said he is awaiting receipt of the findings from Associate City Solicitor Alesia Days, who served as the hearing officer for the public hearing, before taking any further action.

He said he was not familiar with Ashe’s proposal, but would want it to be fully vetted so that any residents and business owners who could be affected by the potential road closure have an opportunity to voice their opinions.

Ashe said he would like representatives from the police department, city engineers, the Department of Public Works and business owners to attend the Jan. 5 meeting and give their suggestions about how to resolve the problem.

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Donald A. Courtemanche, the executive director of the city’s Business Improvement District, said he does not believe shutting down the street will solve the problem.

“A lot of businesses rely on the parking available on Worthington Street to attract people to their establishments. There is also a parking lot for 100 cars which would not be easily accessible if the street were closed down,” he said.

Courtemanche said the business district attempted to close Worthington Street in 2010 for the Stearns Square Concert Series and it was unsuccessful.

“Worthington Street is a major artery that feeds into the downtown area, and if you shut it down you will deter some people from visiting businesses in that section,” he said.

“I don’t think the city should punish everyone for a few bad apples,” Courtemanche said.

Ashe said the ultimate goal is to get visitors to go downtown, not stay away.

“A lot of capital has been poured into the Basketball Hall of Fame and the MassMutual Center in order to promote Springfield as a destination city, especially for conventioneers,” he said. “In order to do that downtown has to be a clean, safe, vital place where people can visit and feel comfortable.”

Vote for your top Western Massachusetts stories of 2011 in our poll.

As 2011 winds down, The Republican and MassLive.com recap some of the Top 10 news stories each day this week leading up to Jan. 1 when the complete list will appear with photos in The Sunday Republican.

No. 4: Tropical Storm Irene dumped as much as 10 inches of rain in the region in late August, flooding homes and roads, damaging bridges and causing extensive power outages

The storm – the remnants of Hurricane Irene – caused the Deerfield, Green, Chicopee and Westfield rivers to overflow.

The federal government has approved $6.2 million so far for homeowners, renters and business owners in Berkshire and Franklin counties who suffered damage from the storm, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The devastating storm washed out a six-mile stretch of Route 2 between Charlemont and Florida, and it remained closed until Dec. 15.

On Nov. 8, the last of five Western Massachusetts disaster recovery centers, located in Williamstown, closed. The centers, operated by FEMA and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, saw 1,852 visitors.

Counting auto, home and commercial claims overseen by the state, there were a total of 28,500 insurance claims filed as a result of Irene. The hill communities of western Franklin County, including Shelburne Falls, were especially hard hit when the Deerfield River flooded.

Two Hispanic officials – Diosdado Lopez and Victor Davila &#8211have called for Cykowski's resignation, while an online petition calling for his ouster continues to gain cyber steam.

SPRINGFIELD – Pressure is mounting for Easthampton City Councilor Donald L. Cykowski to resign from his elected, public position for making an alleged slight against Puerto Ricans at a Dec. 7 City Council meeting.

Cykowski said "Where's a Puerto Rican when we need one" after a fellow city councilor got locked outside the meeting room, but he has declined to explain the meaning of his remark, which critics have deemed ignorant, offensive and ethnically insensitive.

Law student Lauren Marcous

The Rev. Talbert W. Swan II, head of the Springfield branch of the NAACP, was the first public figure to call for Cykowski's censure, and now other public officials and community activists have joined that call — with some urging Cykowski to step down as a public official.

A petition created by Western New England University School of Law student Lauren Marcous is seeking Cykowski's resignation and a public apology, and that effort continues to gather online signatures of people demanding his removal from public office.

Easthampton leaders say they are powerless to force Cykowski to step down, though they have crafted a resolution affirming the city's opposition to discrimination and dedication to tolerance. Cykowski apologized for the remark, but some have said his brief, vague statement didn't go far enough or seem sincere.

Holyoke City Councilor Diosado Lopez

Meanwhile, Holyoke City Councilor Diosdado Lopez and former Springfield City Council member Victor Davila are the latest public figures to demand Cykowski's resignation. Lopez has signed Marcous' online petition calling for Cykowski to step down, while Davila has characterized the Easthampton official's remarks as "inappropriate, divisive and disheartening."

"We can't afford to have an ignorant city official such as Mr. Cykowski representing the good people of Easthampton," Lopez said in remarks included with the petition.

"Councilor Cykowski must save the integrity of the Easthampton City Council and resign his position," said Davila, a community activist and a former Ward 6 councilor in Springfield.

Davila said Cykowski's apparent ethnic slight "has brought shame" to all public officials who "serve the people with dignity and respect."

Springfield activist Victor Davila

Cykowski's apology was "vague" and added "further insult to injury," according to Davila, who also questioned how the elected official could "effectively serve the good people of Easthampton" after bringing "a cloak of racial suspicion to the City Council."

Marcous, who earlier this year was awarded the Haywood Burns Memorial Fellowship for Social and Economic Justice by the National Lawyers Guild, said that Cykowski's remarks were uncalled for and unacceptable.

"We cannot accept a city councilor who publicly ... makes racist statements and potentially harbors racist sentiments toward Puerto Ricans and other people of color in our community," she said, explaining the rationale for the petition.

The Amherst show will feature the work of more than 50 former or current members.

Photo by Diane Lederman / The RepublicanArtists Marianne Connolly and Keith Hollingsworth are seen in Gallery A3 in Amherst. The members of the cooperative will be celebrating 10 years with an exhibit that opens Jan. 5

AMHERST – The idea for the gallery was born after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 when a group of artists were talking about the difficulties of returning to painting.

They had also been considering opening a gallery together so they could exhibit their work in town instead of having to travel to Boston or New York or Philadelphia.

So after Sept. 11, the timing seemed right to do it, said founding member Jozan Treston at that time.

Now 10 years after the Gallery A3 opened, it will be celebrating its history with a show of current and past members that opens Jan. 5.

The gallery, which held its first show in March 2002, was once is located in the storefront where Amherst Coffee serves its lattes and beer and wine.

The entire building was renovated when Barry Roberts purchased it in 2004 and built the new non-profit Amherst Cinema just behind.

The gallery moved into new renovated in a different part of the building.

“It’s still a cooperative,” said founding member Keith Hollingsworth. It still provides that artist’s community. “We share other aspects of our lives (too,)” he said.

Being part of the gallery inspires. “I can’t slack off. I’m committed to the gallery. I want to show good work.”

Members have to be selected and once in, they can exhibit their work and can stay a member for as long as they like. Nine of the current 20 members have been with the gallery since the beginning, said artist a who is among those nine.

“We are continually interested in artists who are challenging,” said Hollingsworth.

Artists must live within in driving distance so they can participate in meetings and jobs.

The gallery shows work that they hope will challenge. “People like our work, (but) we don’t sell as much as we like,” Connolly said.

For some, “the gallery has become a stepping-stone,” Connelly said. She mentioned Angela Zammarelli, an Easthampton artist who was a 2011 recipient of a Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellowship in sculpture/installation and Bruce Fowler who created the Paper City Gallery in Holyoke.

The show will feature the artwork of more than 50 current or former members. The exhibit “will be wall to wall art. We think it will be exciting and provocative,” Hollingsworth said.

The show opens Jan. 5 from 5 to 8 p.m. as part of the monthly art walk and continues through Jan. 28. Gallery A3’s hours are Wednesday through Sundays from 1 to 7 p.m.

The hilly road linking Easthampton to Holyoke – also known as Route 141 &#8211 will be closed for several hours while crews clear storm debris and perform maintenance work.

EASTHAMPTON – Police Chief Bruce W. McMahon said Mountain Road (Route 141) in Easthampton will be closed Thursday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. while crews perform work on the hilly roadway.

Motorists are advised to seek alternate routes during the six-hour closure. The Log Cabin and Tavern on the Hill restaurants will both remain open during that period, according to McMahon.

Easthampton Public Works Director Joseph I. Pipczynski said today's closure will allow work crews to address drainage issues while simultaneously removing tree branches and storm debris from the Oct. 29 nor'easter.

The road – the main route between the cities of Easthampton and Holyoke – is often shut down during winter weather, though this closure was necessary for scheduled tree and maintenance work.

Meanwhile, Easthampton's regular winter-parking ban on city streets is in effect. The ban precludes overnight parking from Nov. 1 through April 1 during the hours of 1 a.m. to 6 a.m.

The board did not say why the plane the tree.

File photo by Dan Gould / Telegram & GazetteThe pilot was killed when a single-engine airplane crashed near the end of the runway at the Spencer Airport in Spencer, MA Wednesday December 22, 2010. (Rick Cinclair / Worcester Telegram & Gazette)

SPENCER – Federal investigators say the 2010 plane crash that killed the owner of Spencer Airport occurred when the left wing of the Piper single-engine plane he was piloting clipped a tree while he was coming in to land.

The National Transportation Safety Board in a probable cause report released Tuesday did not say why he hit the tree.

The report says 50-year-old Gregg Andrews allowed minimal time for the engine to warm up on Dec. 22, 2010. The Telegram & Gazette of Worcester reported Thursday that the NTSB said “fuel exhaustion” was unlikely. There was also no evidence Andrews had some sort of medical emergency.

There were no witnesses to the crash, but one person reported hearing a loud sound, while another reported hearing a surging and sputtering engine.

U.S. Rep. Ron Paul got a surprise endorsement from Rep. Michele Bachmann’s now-former state chairman.

Associated Press photoRepublican presidential candidate former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum speaks during a campaign stop at the Coralville City Hall Thursday in Coralville, Iowa. (Photo by Charlie Neibergall)

DES MOINES, Iowa – Iowa’s GOP presidential contest remains deeply unsettled, if not downright strange, five days before the Jan. 3 caucus.

Rep. Ron Paul, drawing big crowds, got a surprise endorsement Wednesday night from Rep. Michele Bachmann’s now-former state chairman. Former Sen. Rick Santorum, who has languished for months, suddenly seems to have momentum, just as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich may be losing his.

And W. Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who began the campaign by de-emphasizing Iowa, might be poised to finish on top. He’s striking an optimistic tone in the final days of the Iowa campaign.

“The spirit of enterprise, innovation, pioneering and can-do propelled our standard of living and economy past that of any other nation on earth,” Romney says in a new ad he rolled out Thursday. “And in the campaign to come, the American ideals of economic freedom and opportunity need a clear and unapologetic defense. And I intend to make it because I have lived it.”

His allies, too, are keeping the heat on his opponents.

The Restore Our Future super PAC, made up of Romney allies, rolled out a new ad that asks “Haven’t we had enough mistakes?” and notes all the times when Newt Gingrich has said he had a lapse in judgment or acknowledged errors.

It’s part of an unabashed push by Romney in Iowa as his rivals scramble to deny him huge momentum heading into the Jan. 10 primary in New Hampshire, his second home.

Paul, the 76-year-old libertarian-leaning Texan, drew about 500 people at the Iowa State fairgrounds in Ames late Wednesday. A group of Occupy activists tried to interrupt the rally, but that wasn’t the main surprise.

State Sen. Kent Sorenson, who had campaigned a few hours earlier with Bachmann as a state chairman of her bid, announced he would support Paul instead.

Paul’s anti-government appeal appears to tap into the desire of a frustrated electorate for profound change in an era of high unemployment and an economy that has only slowly recovered from the recession.

“In the last couple of weeks I fell into Ron Paul’s camp,” said Bob Colby, of Newton, who spent 21 years in the military and is a former employee of a now-shuttered Maytag plant in town.

Paul, who is airing TV ads hitting Romney and Gingrich, planned a town hall meeting Thursday in Perry, Iowa, plus stops in Atlantic and Council Bluffs.

There were other odd campaign notes Wednesday.

Two politically active pastors in Iowa’s robust evangelical conservative movement disclosed an effort to persuade either Santorum or Bachmann to quit the race and endorse the other. “Otherwise, like-minded people will be divided and water down their impact,” said Rev. Cary Gordon, a Sioux City minister and a leader among Iowa’s social conservatives.

Neither candidate appeared interested.

Meanwhile, an ever more confident Romney scheduled stops Thursday in Cedar Falls, Mason City and Ames. He has air support: TV ads say he has the best chance to beat President Barack Obama in November.

Asked Wednesday about the prospects for back-to-back victories in Iowa and New Hampshire, Romney demurred. “I can’t possibly allow myself to think in such optimistic terms,” he said. “I just have to put my head down and battle as best I can.”

Santorum seems to be gaining steam, according to a Time-CNN survey and some private polls. “We’re very, very happy with the new numbers,” he told reporters in Dubuque.

Acknowledging widespread voter anger in an age of high unemployment, Santorum told an audience Wednesday: “If you want to stick it to the man, don’t vote for Ron Paul. That’s not sticking it to anybody but the Republican Party.”

Santorum, who planned events Thursday in the eastern Iowa towns of Coralville, Wilton, Muscatine and Davenport, says he believes his improved showing reflects voters’ belief that he “can be trusted” and that “we’ve got a record to back it up.”

He said in an appearance on NBC’s “Today” show Thursday that he’s the only one in the Republican field who “has a track record” of winning elections in states, like Pennsylvania, where it was necessary for GOP candidates to attract independents and Democrats.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry adjusted his position on abortion for a second straight day, telling reporters he would allow abortion if a woman’s life were at risk. On Tuesday, he had told a pastor that he had undergone a “transformation” on abortion rights and now opposed the procedure in cases of rape or incest after having recently met a woman who said she was conceived by a rape.

Asked if a mother’s life was the only instance when he would allow abortion, he was concise as he boarded his bus Wednesday: “That’s correct.”

Perry planned events Thursday in Washington, Cedar Rapids and Marshalltown.

Gingrich, who has suffered under a barrage of TV attack ads, also took aim at Paul. “I’m very uncomfortable with the idea that the commander in chief would think it was irrelevant to have an Iranian nuclear weapon,” he said Wednesday.

Gingrich planned events Thursday in Sioux City, Storm Lake, Denison and Carroll.

Bachmann took aim Wednesday at her two rivals from Texas. She said Perry has spent “27 years as a political insider,” and Paul would be “dangerous as president” because of his hands-off views on national security.

Bachmann scheduled events Thursday in Des Moines, Marshalltown and Nevada, Iowa.

2 passengers in Widor's car, including a 56-year-old Ludlow woman, suffered minor injuries.

state

Republican file photo

LUDLOW – A 69-year-old Ludlow man was fatally injured Wednesday night when his disabled car was hit by a passing vehicle on Route 195 in Marion.

Edward Widor was in or near near his vehicle, which was disabled about a half-mile east of Exit 20, when it was struck shortly before 8:45 p.m., according to a press release issued by Massachusetts State Police.

Preliminary investigation by Trooper Paul Doyle indicates that Widor’s 1999 Chevrolet Monte Carlo was facing west, partially in the right travel lane and partially in the breakdown lane, when it was hit by a 2004 Suburu Forester driven by a 69-year-old Acushnet man.

Two passengers in Widor’s car, a 56-year-old Ludlow woman and a 33-year-old Sagamore woman, suffered minor injuries and were taken by ambulances to Tobey Hospital in Ware.

The driver of the Suburu also suffered minor injuries and was taken to Tobey Hospital. State police have not released the names of the injured.

The investigation determined that there were no rear-facing lights activated on the disabled Monte Carlo and the driver’s door was open.

State police said evidence suggests Widor was either standing alongside his disabled car or was sitting in it with his legs outside the vehicle when impact occurred. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The roadway and lane markings at the crash site were in excellent condition and the area was extremely dark, according to state police.

Marion, not far from Cape Cod, is on the South Shore.

Census figures released last week indicate about 49 percent of Americans over 65 could be considered poor or low-income.

This is the latest in an ongoing Associated Press project looking at the aging of baby boomers and the impact this so-called silver tsunami will have on the communities in which they live.

Associated Pree photosDonald Carter poses for a photograph Dec, 15 in Philadelphia. Carter knows his arthritis and other age-related infirmities will not allow him to live indefinitely in his third-floor walkup apartment in Philadelphia. But as a low-income renter, Carter has limited options. And as a gay black man, he's concerned his choice of senior living facilities might be narrowed further by the possibility of intolerant residents or staff members. (Photo by Alex Brandon)

PHILADELPHIA – At age 62, Donald Carter knows his arthritis and other age-related infirmities will not allow him to live indefinitely in his third-floor walkup apartment in Philadelphia.

But as a low-income renter, Carter has limited options. And as a gay black man, he’s concerned his choice of senior living facilities might be narrowed further by the possibility of intolerant residents or staff members.

“The system as it stands is not very accommodating,” Carter said. “I don’t really want to see any kind of negative attitude or lack of service because anyone ... is gay or lesbian.”

Experts say many gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender seniors fear discrimination, disrespect or worse by health care workers and residents of elder housing facilities – ultimately leading many to go back into the closet after years of being open about their sexual orientation.

That anxiety takes on new significance as the first of the 77 million baby boomers turns 65 this year. At least 1.5 million seniors are gay, a number expected to double by 2030, according to SAGE, the New York-based group Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders.

Recognizing the need, developers in Philadelphia have secured a site and initial funding for what would be one of the nation’s few GLBT-friendly affordable housing facilities. They hope to break ground on a 52-unit, $17 million building in 2013.

Anti-discrimination laws prohibit gay-only housing, but projects can be made GLBT-friendly through marketing and location. And while private retirement facilities targeted at the gay community exist, such residences are often out of reach for all but the wealthiest seniors.

Census figures released last week indicate about 49 percent of Americans over 65 could be considered poor or low-income.

Gays are also less likely to have biological family to help out with informal caregiving, either through estrangement or being childless, making them more dependent on outside services. And that makes them more vulnerable, SAGE executive director Michael Adams said.

“They cannot at all assume that they will be treated well or given the welcome mat,” he said.

Cities including San Francisco and Chicago also have projects on the drawing board. But the first and, so far, only affordable housing complex for gay elders to be built in the United States is Triangle Square-Hollywood in Los Angeles.

Chris Bartlett, executive director of the GLBT William Way Center in Philadelphia, poses for a photograph Dec. 15 in Philadelphia. Bartlett says he looks forward to the Way Center providing social services at the planned Philadelphia senior housing facility, in a sense repaying those who led the gay liberation movement. (Photo by Alex Brandon)

Open since 2007, the $22 million facility has 104 units available to any low-income senior 62 and over, gay or straight, according to executive director Mark Supper. Residents pay monthly rent on a sliding scale, from about $200 to $800, depending on their income. About 35 units are set aside for seniors with HIV/AIDS and for those at risk of becoming homeless, Supper said.

The Triangle’s population is about 90 percent GLBT and it has a waiting list of about 200 people. The project’s developer, Gay & Lesbian Elder Housing, plans to build a second facility in Southern California in the next 18 months, Supper said.

But what took so long for the need to recognized? Chris Bartlett, executive director of the GLBT William Way Center in Philadelphia, noted that advocates spent the better part of two decades devoting their energy to programs for those affected by HIV or AIDS, which were decimating the gay community.

While AIDS remains a priority, Bartlett said, the crisis mentality has passed and allowed the community to focus on other things. He said he looks forward to the Way Center providing social services at the planned Philadelphia senior housing facility, in a sense repaying those who led the gay liberation movement.

“Don’t we owe it to them ... to ensure that they have an experience as elders that’s worthy of what they gave to our community?” Bartlett said.

The Philadelphia group has been trying to get its project off the ground for about eight years but has been stymied by location problems, a tough economy and stiff competition for federal housing tax credits.

Mark Segal

Rejected once for the credits, developers recently reapplied and hope for a different answer this spring, said Mark Segal, director of the Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld Fund, which is spearheading the project. It’s planned for a thriving section of the city affectionately known as the Gayborhood.

“I’m extremely optimistic,” said Segal, also publisher of the Philadelphia Gay News.

However, Adams said the real solution lies not only in building more facilities, but in cultural competency training for staffers at existing elder programs. The Philadelphia Corporation on Aging, the private nonprofit that serves the city’s seniors, began offering such seminars to health care workers a couple of years ago, said Tom Shea, the agency’s director of training.

“They’re going to be seeing a diverse slice of the aging population in Philadelphia ... and we need to be sensitive to all their needs,” Shea said.

Adams suggested that discrimination faced by today’s GLBT elders could diminish in the decades ahead, since he said opinion research shows that younger generations are less likely to harbor anti-gay biases than older generations.

“So we hope that the passage of time will provide part of the solution,” he said. “But of course, today’s LGBT elders can’t wait for that.”

Jackie Adams, 54, of Philadelphia, said being diagnosed with AIDS many years ago meant she never thought she’d live long enough to need elder housing. But now Adams, who was born male and lives as a female, is part of a local initiative focused on GLBT senior issues.

On a limited income after losing her job as an outreach worker for those with HIV, Adams said affordable, GLBT-friendly senior housing is badly needed. She is not related to Michael Adams.

“I would be incomplete if I had to go from wearing stockings and dresses to (work boots) and jeans,” Adams said. “I would like to be able to live in a community where I could fully be me.”